Serious Skillet Baked Ziti

Lately I have been obsessed with my cast iron skillet (OBSESSED, I tell ya) and I have been finding a way to cook everything in it. It makes some serious good eats :) Last night I decided to see if I could whip up a good baked ziti in the skillet. Here's what happened:

I know it's  poor form for the cook to compliment their own creations, so in the words of MR, "It was amazing."

Now y'all know I'm not big on measurements and what not, so I'll do my best to tell ya how I did this. 

Here's what you'll need:

• pack of hot sausage (I used 6 hot sausage links and sliced them down the center to remove the skins, then I put them in the food processor to grind the meat)
• a pack of basil
• onion
• can of fire roasted diced tomatoes
• mozzarella cheese
• heavy cream
• pantry staples (salt, pepper, seasoning)
• 1 box penne pasta

Process:

• preheat oven to 475 (if adventurous, go ahead and put in skillet to heat up)
• chop onions and add to french oven (or any pot) to sweat
• brown sausage (lightly! there is a lot more cooking time!)
• season (salt, pepper)
• add diced tomatoes
• (let all this simmer on a low-medium for a few minutes)
• add 3 cups of water and penne (I used 3/4 of a alb box)
• turn up to a rolling boil for ~15 minutes, stirring frequently 
• remove from heat and add 1/2 cup heavy cream and 1/2 cup cheese and basil (I like a lot)
• stir
• remove skillet from oven (REMEMBER IT IS HOT, GRAB A MIT!!!)
• hit the skillet with a thin spray of Pam 
• transfer everything from pot to skillet (I do this with a spoon and FYI that first scoop that hits the pan in gonna SIZZLE!)
• spread it out nicely
• put in oven ~7-10 minutes- keep an eye on it, if it seems to be getting dry decrease your time
• take it out, layer cheese on top and out under broiler ~3-5 minutes depending on how you like your cheese
• garnish with basil
• Enjoy! B'tayavon! Serious good eats!